Dorset campaigners call for 20mph speed limits in BCP area
Cycling Rebellion dispute the Prime Minister's view on scrapping such limits
Last updated 26th Oct 2023
Cycling Rebellion are campaigning for 20mph speed limits to be enforced in parts of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Campaigners from the group call for safer roads where people live, work and shop such as Winton and Southbourne Highstreet.
Adam Osbourne, founder of the group, said: “Our demand is a radical rollout of 20mph zones in all urban areas in the country.
“It's been proven to decrease deaths from road traffic accidents, decrease air pollution and reduce traffic, so our message to drivers is that this is for the benefit of everyone.”
According to the group, 72% of drivers actually support a 20mph speed limit in residential areas, yet the prime minister called ‘20 zones’ “an attack on motorists” that "need to stop".
Rishi Sunak is expected to “slam the brakes” on councils from introducing new 20mph speed limits as part of a package of policies aimed at drivers.
Mr Osbourne said: “I think it's sad that safety is being used to gain political favour from people who think ‘motorists should come first’. We are a nation of families, so I don’t think most people would benefit from his plan to make it less safe to walk around.”
A study by Brake, the road safety charity, found that excess speed is a factor in 25% of fatal crashes and a crash at 30mph has twice the impact as a crash at 20mph.
Research shows that 4 in 10 parents decide not to walk their child to school because the roads are too busy, and traffic is too fast.
Mr Osbourne added: “We've built our towns and cities almost primarily to move cars and not to be places for people to live in. We think anywhere people play, work, learn or live should be 20 mph.”
Objections to the proposed new speed limit were around “getting done for speeding” and “ being an inconvenience to people,” but Cycling Rebellion maintain that these measures reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality.